Album Reviews Archive
Album Review: Christina Aguilera ‘Lotus’
November 18, 2012
Who would have thought that Christina Aguilera would put out one of the best pop collections of the year? No, really; I mean it. I posted it on my Facebook and everything, and nobody there believed me either. Lotus is not the paint-by-numbers record I expected it to be. It makes a solid case for
Album Review: Aerosmith ‘Music From Another Dimension’
November 17, 2012
From the intro this almost seems to want to be a concept album, but the auditory wow-factor of moving sound from one ear to the other is not exactly cutting edge at this stage in the history of rock music. It’s Aerosmith’s first record in more than a decade and the introduction feels like it
Album Review: KISS ‘Monster’
November 10, 2012
It feels like I should be talking about how long it has been since this band took up the charge of heavy, epic rock music, but they have technically been back for a while now, with 2009’s Sonic Boom being a slightly glossier attempt at a rebirth. I listened to that record, but don’t ask
Album Review: Taylor Swift ‘Red’
November 9, 2012
Taylor Swift is a bit anomalous in her ability to come off as charming and intelligent while focusing her creative efforts on types of music more closely associated with people who can neither write, nor sing, nor play an instrument. Genre, though, does not define an artist, and nobody is too cool for straight pop
Album Review: David Byrne & St. Vincent ‘Love This Giant’
October 28, 2012
Annie Clark has had a career path almost as interesting as that of David Byrne, though hers has been compressed into one momentous decade. As St. Vincent she has made a tremendous impression with her music, and has certainly grown to be much larger than just a member of some greater whole, though she still
Album Review: Band of Horses ‘Mirage Rock’
October 27, 2012
This band is almost completely different from the Band of Horses who made their mark with their 2005 debut, Everything All the Time. Lineup changes have come with each of their four releases up until now, when for the first time the band has managed to hold a lineup together. The result should be a
Album Review: Mumford & Sons ‘Babel’
October 22, 2012
The opening minute of “Babel” immediately sounds like any song from Sigh No More, revealing both the strength of the band’s motif and perhaps their total lack of flexibility or ability to grow. This opening track addresses the question posed to all bands with their sophomore releases, and the answer appears clear: Mumford & Sons
Album Review: Muse ‘The 2nd Law’
October 22, 2012
The story of this record for most fans seems to be that Muse has changed things up again, but that isn’t really the case from my perspective. Sure, there are a couple of new elements present, but it’s nothing outside of their already very broad lexicon. The fact that they have gone this far without
Album Review: Dave Matthews Band ‘Away From the World’
October 13, 2012
Dave Matthews has always been good to his fans. He has put out a standing offer, from an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, to correct the album cover when he signs autographs for fans who bring their copies. He opted not to include nipples on the nude women who adorn the cover of Away From
Album Review: Diana Krall ‘Glad Rag Doll’
October 12, 2012
Are you tired of mass produced and pandering music? Does raw talent turn you on more than image and spectacle? Do you long for a simple, beautiful collection of songs that aren’t obviously trying to sell you anything? Then you– yes, you– may be utterly put off by my infomercial-style sales pitch, but you should
